The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1887-09-03


A Nuf for the Farmers Union
TO Crack.
II the Farmers Union is going to
make itself practically useful to the
county, we don't know any line of
operations more inviting than that
of improving the county roads.
There is no class of people more
directly interested in the public
roads than the farmers. There is
no one cause from which they suffer
more than from bad roads. There
is no one source from which they
may derive more benefit than from
improved roads. They might thus
enhance the value of every farm in
the county. They may thus bring
every product of the farm into mar
ket. They may thus make life more
comfortable and relieve the isolation
from which they suffer. They may
thus increase the general business
and thrift of the county % per cent.
In fact, it is the pressing need Of
our county. There can be no gen
eral improvement without it. 1t
stands in the way of every advance.
1t is the beginning point-the sine
qua non to any improvement the
Farmers Union may seek.
These are palpable facts which
every intelligent farmer will appre-
ciate. And we, therefore, hope that
the first work Of the Union will be,
as it should, directed to this work
of improving the roads.
BY way of practical suggestions
in this behalf, we have two which
we think the farmers will do well to
consider
The first is that the money ex-
pended in repairing our public roads
is virtually wasted because of the
want of skill and method in the
work done. None of our roads are
properly drained. They are left
fat in the center and the water nee
essarily settles there Or washes the
road bed out. If one-half the mon
ey and labor put upon our roads
were intelligently and skilfully APP
piled we would have reasonably
good roads.
There is very simple remedy for
this waste and bungling. 1t is to
furnish all the supervisors with
"grade-boards," and compel them to
make all the roads, when repaired,
to conform to the board. A "grade-
board is simply an arched board
which will show the proper shape or
rounding of the road and depth of
the bitches. 1t is set down on the
road, when repairing is being done,
and the road bed built up to it. So
that if the boards were used by all
the supervisors they could not go
wrong, but all the roads of the coun-
ty would soon be uniformly graded
and drained. 1t would supply the
want of skill in the supervisors as
nothing else could do.
The second suggestion is that we
ought to adopt the alternative road
law" for this county. We can never
have first class roads under the
present system. The alternative
law is the business plan and the
more efficient plan. Moreover it is
the cheaper plan in the long run.
We can get the worth of the money
expended under the alternative law
or we don't pay anything. The man
who takes contract must keep his
road according to certain specifca-
tions or forfeit his pay. This is
business. 1t is just what this coun-
ty needs to improve the management
of the public roads.
Now, the Farmers Union is the
right body to move in this matter.
We can have vote on the alterna-
tive plan if the members of the
Union will petition for it.
Let the farmers tackle this sub
ject without delay.